AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How bout for my lungs to stop trying to burn their way out of me?”
“Come on,” Austin says again. “Larry is calling to us.”
I laugh.
Austin turns and hoists himself up onto the lowest branch. Then he begins to climb. “I bet I can still climb higher than you,” he says.
“Still?” I yell up into the branches above. “Try for the first time ever!”
“Prove it,” Austin yells back.
I pull myself up and approach the large oak. I gently pat the bark. “How you doin’, Larry?” I pull myself up and hook a leg around the bottom branch. I look up and see Austin smiling down at me. I take the glint in his eye as a challenge, and I pick up the pace. I climb higher and higher; my mind is buzzing with worries that didn’t exist when I was a kid. What if I can’t get back down? What if I fall? Thankfully my muscles take over from memory.
Soon, my legs are wrapped around a thin branch as my fingertips strain to reach the very top of the tree.
“Careful,” Austin says, from just below me. “That branch is awfully thin.”
I stretch until my arm aches. Then I tap the tip of the leaves. “There,” I say, shimmying down the branch until I’m nestled in a thick knot of bark. “Beat that.”
Austin climbs over and sits beside me. “You win,” he says.
A breeze blows and the branch I was just leaning against bends dangerously. Austin glares at me.
“What?” I say, shrugging. “You’re the one who turned this into a competition.”
“A competition to climb the highest, not to see who can fall the farthest.”
I grin at Austin, but inside, my stomach is flip-flopping all over the place. That really was a close call.
Austin pulls out a pocket knife and my eyes narrow in on him.
“What’s that for?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
I grunt. “So many secrets tonight.”
“Not secrets, surprises. Secrets are something you never share. Surprises are fun ways to show someone you care.”
Austin finishes his surprise and leans back to show me. In the thickest part of the branch, he’s carved our initials: AS + EC.
“I didn’t want to do it on the trunk of the tree, where the whole world will see it. This is special. Just for you and me.” His face flushes.
It’s cheesy and sweet and I love it. I close my eyes and feel the breeze blow the strands of hair against my face. Then I open them again and sigh loudly. “I forgot how beautiful it is up here,” I say.
“It’s an even better view now than it was eight years ago,” Austin says.
I nod. We sit in silence for several comfortable minutes. Being up this high, away from the world, makes my worries seem small. I can almost forget about being prom queen, and the date competition, the bullying, the videos, and the feeling of being a constant disappointment to my family, if even for just a few moments. I don’t have any worries up here. It’s just me, and the leaves, and a breeze, and a cute boy.
“Thanks for bringing me up here,” I say. “I probably would never have climbed a tree again.”
“I still come up here every once in a while, when I need to clear my head,” he says. “I don’t think you can ever be too old to climb a tree.”
I like Austin’s quiet confidence. He knows who he is and he doesn’t apologize for being different.
“I guess not,” I say. I look out over the city below. Dusk is just starting to settle in and the city lights begin to twinkle as they come on.
Austin sighs. “As much as I’d love to stay up here, we have other things to do.” He begins climbing down. I’m not going to let him have the satisfaction of winning. I grab the thick branch nearest my head and swing my legs down past Austin. As soon as my footing is secure, I bend down and grab another branch. Austin sees my determination and picks up speed. I scream and move faster. He laughs and tries to grab my hand, but I twist out of reach. One of the rips in my pants catches on a branch and I’m stuck. I laugh and squeal as I pull down hard and hear a loudRiiiiiiip. I move swiftly and my feet touch the ground before Austin’s. Then I look at my tear to assess the damage. The rip is torn, creating an even bigger, and more jagged looking tear. Oh well, they were already ripped jeans to begin with. I stand up tall and wipe my hands on the pant legs.
